Bobcats looking forward to conference play
It took Franklin a few minutes to get its offense acclimated to the friendly confines of Blue Ridge Early College’s pitch on Thursday afternoon, but once the Panthers found their footing they proved hard to contain in a 5-1 win.
Playing on a smaller field led to several offside calls early in the contest, before Miguel Cruz broke free in the sixth minute and beat the Blue Ridge keeper. Jason Patino added a second goal for Franklin in the 20th minute when a crossing pass deflected right to his foot.
The visitors kept the pressure on until halftime, building a 5-1 advantage all before the intermission. Blue Ridge steadied its defense in the second half, but was unable to cut into the Franklin lead.
Blue Ridge (0-3 overall) hosted Swain County on Wednesday night and will travel to Murphy on Monday.